RE: debian-installer alpha platform titan/privateer
I'm stumped. I really don't recall using the kernel from RedHat. Isn't
aboot completely impartial to any kernel configuration as a boot loader?
I thought I had just made a Debian alpha rescue disk, copied aboot to the
boot sector, and changed root to point to the cd so I didn't have to create
a root disk.
After which, I booted and was prompted for language, keyboard, up to the
point where a drive to partition and install to couldn't be found because I
didn't have a working driver for my old emulex fibre channel cards at the
time perhaps this is where I would have noticed that there were module
problems?
I'll reattempt the Debian install with the same RedHat aboot again with an
IDE drive in my other ES45 to see if there was a problem with the kernel
after that point. Thanks.
-----Original Message-----
From: Steve Langasek [mailto:vorlon@debian.org]
Sent: Sunday, June 05, 2005 5:50 AM
To: BCIV.Collins@med.va.gov
Cc: debian-boot@lists.debian.org
Subject: Re: debian-installer alpha platform titan/privateer
On Wed, Jun 01, 2005 at 01:45:07PM -0500, BCIV.Collins@med.va.gov wrote:
> I put the Redhat aboot into the boot sector of a Debian boot disk I made
and
> it booted. I figured it was a newer version because the ES45's were
pretty
> new as far as Alphas go and also because Debian has a reputation about
being
> very careful about promoting packages into production.
> In any event, aboot works from Redhat and the new Alphacore release just
> fine but, I am a Debian nut and would really love to see it install on an
> ES45. I used to have ES40's which ran Debian beautifully and was pretty
> chagrined to find that ES45's wouldn't install Debian without a
jack-hammer.
> I finally have time to get back to these two Alphas and would like to know
> if there is anything I can do to help the ES45 become Debian friendly?
> The message aboot gives me is:
> Kernel stack not valid halt
> PC = fffffc0001031cf4
> Please advise and thanks for your time,
Per the sarge install manual:
It is believed that Debian &releasename; supports installing on all
alpha sub-architectures with the exception of the ARC-only Ruffian and
XL sub-architectures and the Titan subarchitecture, which requires a
change to the kernel compile options.
Your error message seems to be consistent with the nature of this problem,
which is that the sarge kernels have been built for a different load address
than that required by the Titan systems. (There are two alpha
subarchitectures with mutually incompatible requirements wrt kernel load
address; unfortunately, the only kernels included in sarge are built such
that they're compatible with the /other/ one, while at the same time sarge
lacks bootloader support for it. :/)
Did your custom boot disk also include a Red Hat kernel? That would explain
why you were able to boot from it, though in that case I imagine you weren't
able to get very far due to a lack of modules. If you really did use the
Debian kernel with just the Red Hat boot sector, I'm at a loss to explain
the successful boot; though in that case, perhaps there are some good ideas
we need to be stealing into our aboot build that aren't available in the
current aboot package (or upstream).
In any case, I definitely hope to have this issue fixed soon for etch.
Cheers,
--
Steve Langasek
postmodern programmer
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